SOL 110 EXAM FALL

10/24

Sex- refers to biological terms of male and female.

Gender- refers to masculinity and femininity (gender is a social control macinism

Heterosexuality- refers to sexual feelings, attractions, and actions directed towards members of the opposite sex

Homosexuality- attracted to the same sex

 

Homosexuality as a Social Problem?

  • Becoming Homosexual: How?

    • Biological: Twin Studies?

    • Psychological: Poor Parent-Child Relation?

    • Sociological: Labeling and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

  • Problems surrounding sexual orientation depends on reaction of heterosexuals gays &lesbian

    • Prejudice: Homo- intense dislike against homosexuals

  • Discrimination: Many Social Institutions

    • Hate crimes

    • Housing and Employment

    • Military

    • Marriage and Family

 

Solutions to Homophobia

  • Gay Communities- How/Why

    • Discouraged from living with "straights"

    • Protection from hostility

    • Share/enjoy their lifestyle

    • Produce political power

  • Is Gay Isolation a Viable Solution

 

 

10/29

 

Family

  • Rough vs. Gentle

  • Tomboys vs. Sissies

 

Schools

  • Female teachers vs. Male principles

  • Women images: helpless, home settings, less independent

 

Media

  • More men in primetime

  • Stereotypes

 

Sex/Gender Inequality in the U.S.

  • Gender Inequality in Education

    • Enrollment and graduation rates

  • Gender Inequality in Occupational Workplace

    • Occupation

 

Facts:

  • Women have more degrees, and graduate better grades, and faster, earn less

  • In traditionally feminie jobs the gap is closer, if it’s a male dominated field the gap increases

 

 

 

11/5

 

Theoretical Perspective on Family

  • Functionalism: Family fulfills basic functions essential for survival

    • Regulation, protection, status, education, affection

  • Conflict: Family serves the interests of dominant group- males

    • Patriarchy and inequality

  • Symbolic Interactionism: Family depends on individual definitions

    • Meanings and norms - arranged vs. romantic marriages

 

 

Marriage and Family Life Issues…(Divorce: Why and Who)

  • Measuring Divorce: Refined Divorce Rate

  • Why people get divorced?

    • Family performs fewer functions

    • Gender equality

    • Less stigma attached to divorce

    • Simplified legal process for obtaining divorce

  • Why has increased risk of divorce

    • Social differences between partners

    • Low socioeconomic level of couple

    • Young age at marriage

    • World wind romance

  • Effects of Divorce

    • Troubled Kinship Ties

      • Serial monogamy, blended families, remarried couple households

    • Negative Affect

      • Feelings of failure, loneliness, rejection, anger, frustration, suicide

    • Women Suffer More

      • Less developed careers, custody of children, husband non-compliance with child support

    • Children Suffer

      • Lack of emotional support, decline in school performance, turn to delinquency, higher likelihood divorce

 

11/7

 

  • Intimate Partner Violence

    • Include violence between spouses, cohabiting partners, boyfriends/girlfriends, dates

    • Some reason include

      • Violence to settle disputes

      • Marital poverty

      • Inequality in decision-making and power

      • Inconsistent achievements between men and women

      • Social isolation

  • Child Abuse

    • Low parental education, poverty

    • Transmitted from generation to generation

 

Solutions to Marriage and Family Issues

  • Family Functions: The Family performs important functions in society. Those functions will continue to be performed in the future by pluralistic families

  • Divorce: Divorce is high. Yet, it may not necessarily continue to rise substantially in the future

  • Family violence: Many Options

    • Brining it into the open is a positive step for reducing family violence

    • Developing programs of "parenting skills"

    • Legal Response: Criminal Arrest

 

Crime and Deviance/ Explanations

  • We find that all of us, as a society, are no blame, but only the defendant is guilty

  • Biological Explanations: crime arise from people's physical constitution or genetic makeup

  • Psychological Explanations: crime is linked to personality disorders or maladjustments, often developing during childhood

 

Explanations of Crime: Functionalism:

  • Social Bonds Theory: weak ties/bonds to family, church, community result in crime (individuals born bad)

  • Anomie Theory: inconsistency between goals and institutionalized means produce crime

 

Explanation of Crime: Symbolic Interactionism

  • Differential Association: crime is learned by interactions with other deviant peers

  • Labeling Theory: labels are critial for development of criminal identity

 

 

11/14

 

Explanation of Crime (Rational Choice/ Conflict Theory)

 

  • Rational Choice: Crime is a consequence of benefit-cost analysis

  • Conflict Theory: Crime is a consequence of power in an unequal system

 

 

Types of Crime:

  • violent crime,

  •  property crime,

  •  organized crime,

  • white collar crime,

  • victimless crime

 

Uniform Crime reports are generated from data collections

 

8 serious property offences

 

  • Murder

  • Rape

  • Serious Assault

  • Robbery

  • Bugerurry

  • Arson

  • Larceny Theft

  • Vehicle theft 

 

 

Perpetrators and Victims

  • Perpetrators of "Serious" Crime

    • Gender- Males

    • Age- Young Teens/Adults

    • Socioeconomic Status- Weak relationship od SES and crime

    • Race- Weak relationship between race and crime

 

  • Victims of "serious" crime

    • 23/1,000 are crime victims each other

    • Black males+ victory

 

11/19

Important Notations:

PAPER DUE DECMEBER 10TH -> WEEK BEFFORE EXAM (DEC. 17TH)

 

 

The Criminal Justice System

  • The Police

    • Lots of discretion, little support

  • The courts

    • There is a substantial case attrition following arrest

    • Plea bargaining involved in over 90% of criminal offenses

  • Purposes of Punishment

    • Retribution, Rehabilitation, Deterrence, Incapacitation

  • Characteristics & Consequences of Sentencing & Prisons

    • More Punitive: three strike law, mandatory sentencing guidelines

    • Rehabilitation: Low due to overcrowding

    • Deterrence: Punishment does not work; high recidivism rate

  • Media Depiction of Crime and CJS

    • More crime; more violent crime; more individual (street) crime

    • High police effectiveness; equal probability of victimization?

 

 

Future Prospects- Solutions

  • Social Reform: We must improve social conditions

  • Legalization: legalization of some crimes would free police to deal with more serious crimes .

  • Better Law Enforcement

    • Patrol Crime Hot Spots

    • Capture most serious, repeats offenders

    • Seize guns carried in public

  • Judicial Reform: Some Examples

    • Swift, certain, and fair (severe enough) punishment

    • Equitable punishment- no discrimination

  • Alternative to Imprisonment: Reintegrative Shaming

  • Prison Reform: Better tools for rehabilitation

  • Environmental Improvements

    • Street lights, burglar alarm and other improved surveillance devices

 

 

12/3

What is a Drug?

 

Drugs: any substance that, when consumed, alters one or more functions of human body

 

Psychoactive Drugs: those that produce major alterations in mood, emotion, perceptions

 

Drug Use and Abuse:

  • Opinions about drug use vary greatly as to whether drug use itself is a social problem

  • Much of concern about drugs relates to their effects- drug addiction- on people:

    • Dependence

    • Tolerance

    • Cross-dependence

    • Cross-tolerance

 

Drug abuse: use that violates approved norms

Drug addiction: physical dependence  on the drug

Drug dependence: mental/physical cravings + withdrawal symptoms

 

(abuse is not the same as addiction, abuse is not the same as dependence)

 

 

***Future Prospects- Solutions

  • Drug abuse is a serious and complex problem for which there is not an easy answer

  • Some programs can help mitigate some of its more serious consequences

    • Prohibitions

    • Legalization

    • Prevention (education)

    • Rehabilitation

    • Behavior Modification

    • Social Policy and public pressure

 

 

12/5

Variety in Human Sexuality

(sexual deviance: reasons and explanations)

  • What accounts for changes in sexual behavior

    • Contraceptives

    • Secularization

    • Feminist Movement

    • Technological Developments

  • Theoretical Perspectives (Pornography and Prostitution)

    • Functionalism

      • Establish acceptable morally by knowing what is "immoral"

      • Sexual outlets for restricted/unacceptable sexual conduct

    • Conflict Theory

      • Reflection of inequality and poverty

      • Reflection of gender inequality

    • Symbolic Interactionism

      • Definitions of reality, labeling, stigmatization

      • Moral entrepreneurs

 

Pornography- Definition & Concern

  • Definition: Pornography describes "sexually 'explicit' writings, still or motion picture, and similar products designed to be sexually arousing

  • Concerns Related to pornographic materials

    • Obscenity: Is Pornography Obscene?

    • Censorship: Should Pornography be Censored?

    • Violence: Does Pornography Lead to sexual violence against women?

 

Pornography & the Law

(What is Obscene)

  • Material must meet 3 conditions established by the U.S. Supreme Court Miler v. California (1973) to be considered obscene.

  1. The average person apply community standards considers the material as a whole to appeal to prurient interest

  2. The material depicts sexual conduct, spealically defined by state of federal law, in patently offense pay

  3. The work lacks serious artistic, literary, political or scientific value

 

Censorship of Pornography

  • It should be censored:

    • Pornography is an immoral vice

    • Eventually, it fails in the hands of impressionable youth

    • It exploits (leads to violence agaisnst0 women and children

  • It should NOT be censored:

    • Adults should decide for themselves; no one should interfere

    • Banning pornography will lead to censoring will lead to censoring works of literary or artistic value

 

 

Prostitution

(definitions, categories, and scope/extent)

  • Prostitution: Definition

    • Sexual activity in exchange for money or goods, in which the primary motivation for the prostitute Is neither sexual nor affectional

  • Prostitution: Categories

    • Streetwalkers

    • Bar girls

    • Brothel prostitute

    • Call girls

  • Prostitution: Score and Extent

    • Knowing others

    • Young female promiscuity

    • Life of crime and victimization

    • Entering and leaving prostitution

 

Is Prostitution a crime?

  • Agruements Against Legalization:

    • Rises crimes  (mugging, robbery, assault)

    • Rise in organized crime

    • Gives rise to AID and other STI

    • Subjects innocent citizens to offensive solicitation

    • Offensive to public morals

  • Arguments in favor of Legalizations

    • Anti-prostitution laws turn prostitutes into crime

    • It cost too much to prosecute prostitute (focus on more serious crime)

    • Its is a "victimless crime" done among adults

    • Legalization will precent STDs and organized crime